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‘Jackpotting’ Assaults Hit U.S. ATMs for First Time

The U.S. Secret Service has warned banks across the country about jackpotting, a form of bank robbery that targets ATMs.

Previously seen in Europe, Mexico and other countries, jackpotting works just like it sounds. Criminals take control of an ATM machine and force it to dispense cash at a rate of 40 bills every 23 seconds.

“That’s where you get the term jackpotting from because it is basically like a slot machine that you hit the jackpot — you are basically taking all of the money out of the ATM,” supervisory special agent Matt O’Neill told ABC News.

The Secret Service said it has heard about a dozen cases across the country from the mid-Atlantic region through New England, the Pacific Northwest, and Louisiana.

“What we’re finding is the attacks really started in a coordinated effort in December and well north of a million dollars has been taken,” O’Neill said.

How it Works

Fraudsters pose as ATM technicians, some wear uniforms, and open a machine using a generic key that the Secret Service says is easily available for purchase on the internet.

Once the bogus technician has opened the machine he installs a laptop computer and a cellphone to enable him to remotely take over the machine and force it to discharge cash. To avoid detection, the ‘technician’ does not typically take the cash — that job is done by an accomplice, a money mule.

The accomplice goes to the ATM and calls the technician who initiates a withdrawal sequence remotely.

Typically, the technician returns to the empty ATM to retrieve the laptop and cellphone, removing any trace of his tampering.